Can-opener.



No. 676,726. Patented lune la, |961.

- w. H. PLUME.

GAIN (IPENER.

(Application led Aug. 30, 1900.)

(No Model.)

WlTN-ESSES. f .614. GGMJ).-

INVENTOR.

mi Norms neas co, Puovomwo. wnsnwsmn. D. c.

UNTTED STATES V PATENT EErcE VILLIAM H. PLUME,l OF ANSONIA, CONNECTICUT.

`CAN-OPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 676,726, dated J une 18, 19011. Appumituiie'i August 30,1900: serial No. 28,497. (no model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. PLUME, a citizen of the United States,.residing at Ansonia, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Openers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of canopeners which cut a round piece from a cantop by means of a cutter carried by a lever which is provided at one end with a point adapted to pierce the center of the portion of the can-top to be cut out and to serve as a fulcruni for the lever; and my invention has for its object to provide a cutter and a carrier therefor struck up and formed from a single piece of metal and means for conveniently locking and releasing the carrier and cutter, the entire device consisting of but three parts, all of which are simple and inexpensive to make and which are adapted to be assembled inthe simplest and least expensive manner possible.

With these ends in View I have devised the novel can-opener which I will now describe,re ferring to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and using reference characters to designate the several parts.

Figure l is a plan View illustrating my novel can-opener in use; Fig. 2, a sectional view on the line 2 2 in Fig. l, the lever and cam appearing in elevation, the manner in which the carrier and cutter are locked in `position by the forward boss of the cam being shown in full lines, and the manner in which the locking of the carrier is eiiected bythe other boss and also the releasing position of the cam being indicated by dotted lines; and Fig. 8 is a section ofthe lever on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2, the carrier, cutter, and the locking-cam appearing in end elevation.

A. denotes the lever, which is provided at its inner end with an offset point l0, whichA is of suitable size and is so shaped as to adapt it to pierce the center of the portion of the can-top to be removed and to serve as a fulcrum for the lever iu the operation of cutting.

B denotes the cutter, and C a carrier therefor, which is adapted to slide on the lever. The carrier and cutterar'e in practice blanked out in a single piece from'sheet metal, and

the carrier consistsof a base 11, which lies 1in a plane substantially at right angles with the'plane of the cutter and has upwardly eX- tending therefrom ears l2, between which the cam D is pivoted. This cam comprises two bosses 13, either of which is operative to lock the carrier and with it the cutter to the lever, and a hand piece le for convenience in operation,which is ordinarily provided with lugs 15, which pass through holes in the ears and are headed down on the outer faces of the ears to retain the parts in position. A rivet passing through the ears and the cam maybe sub stituted for lugs l5, if preferred.

The operation will be readily apparent from the drawings. The cam is so shaped that when tilted forward by means of the handpiece, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, or when the handpiece is pressed down into or nearly into contact with the lever, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, one or the other of the bosses 13 will be pressed into firm frictional contact with the upper face ot' the lever and will thereby lock the carrier and the cutter firmly in position on the lever, so that the latter may be swung around after the point has been inserted into a can-top and the cutter willremoveacircularpiece therefrom. When the handpiece isin an intermediate positiont'. e., in practically a horizontal position, as is also indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2- neither of the bosses 13 will be in engagement with the upper face of the lever,'so that the carrier, and with it the cutter, will be free to slide thereon. p

Having thus described my invention, I Claim-.

l. A cau-opener comprising a lever having au engaging point, a carrier and cutter formed from a single piece of sheet metal and conL sistng of a base extending across one side of the lever and having ears rising therefrom past the edges of the lever and having one edge bent downward and forming a cutter in a plane substantially at a right angle to the plane of the ears, one edge of said cutter being straight and in line with one of said ears, and the other edge of the cutter being in clined, the upper ends of the edges of the cutter meeting the base adjacent to the front edges of the ears and means supported by IOO said ears for clamping the lever against said base.

2. A can-opener comprising la lever having an engaging point,a carrier and cutter formed from a single piece of sheet metal and consisting of a base extending across one side of the lever and having ears rising therefrom past the edges of the lever and having one edge bent downward and forming a cutter in a plane substantially at a right angle tothe plane of the ears, one edge of said cutter being straight and in line With one offsaid ears;

and the other edge of thev cutter' being inolined, the upper ends of the edges of" the cutter meeting the. base adjacent to the front edges "of the ears and a earn pivoted'between said ejars and adapted to bear on'theleverl to leek the 'carrierand cutterl in anydesired pos'i'tionlengthwise of the lever.

3. A can-opener consisting-0f a lever havformed from a single piece of metal, said carrier being provided with ears, and a cam pivoted between said ears and provided with a handpieee and with two bosses, one of said bosses being adapted to lock the carrier to the lever when the eaniis tilted forward and the otherwhen tilted backward and bothof vsaid bosses being out of engagement with the lever When the handpeee is in an intermediate position.

A In testimony whereof I affix my signature yin presence of two witnesses.

p WILLIAM' H. PLUMB.

l Witnesses:

ALBERT E. HULL,

l DWIGHT S. PARSONS.

ing an engagingpoint, a' carrier and' cutter. 

